Kendall Marshall, The Black Curse?

Kendall Marshall has NBA caliber ball handling and play making ability. In fact Marshall was second in the league this past season at 8.8 APG(trailing only Chris Paul 10.7). That’s pretty impressive considering he played for a Lakers team which set franchise lows this past season. Marshall entered free agency after being released from his non guarantee contract by Los Angeles.

One team sought after Marshall’s services, the Milwaukee Bucks. You mean to tell me only one team in the entire NBA needed a guy that dished out almost 9apg? The number two guy in assist per game! Bucks claimed him off waivers and signed him to a dirt cheap contract. Something like 2 years / $1.46 million which averages out to $734k per year.

I started to think, how can a guy who averages that many assist per get overlooked? I did some research to figure out which players were ranked number two in assist per game each of the last five years; Chris Paul twice, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, and Deron Williams. That appears to be a great list to be apart of if you ask me. Then the thought came to me, Kendall Marshall is being compared to all the other Black point guards in the league by coaches and scouts. An African American point guard that plays with solid fundamentals and no flash is simply not sexy in a league full of high flying six footers. Too not critique Marshall solely on his solid play would be a disservice to this man who falls under the “Black Curse.”

Marshall plays more like Ricky Rubio than Derrick Rose so perhaps Marshall should be compared to guys who have a similar game style as him. Stop thinking players are garbage if they can’t throw it down or perform an ankle breaking cross over. Some players are gifted with stellar passing and leadership attributes.